This invention is related to methods for making a thin-walled object having a continuous curved surface, and more particularly, to a method in which a plastic material is applied to a backing sheet of inflexible material deformed according to the curvature of the finished product, and then permitting the plastic material to harden.
There are a variety of applications in which it is desirable to form a thin-walled object having a curvilinear surface of a selected curvature. For example, fiberglass boats are made by applying a resin material to a fiberglass cloth or mat mounted on a support. Model cars are made in a similar manner, as well as model railroad track layouts and prototypes of vehicles. Typically, the forming process employs a fiberglass mat, cloth or screening as a reinforcement to support a plastic material applied to the mat until the material hardens. One limitation of such conventional procedures, is that the mat is so flexible as to be useful for only flat surfaces or for surfaces having a slight curvature. The mat is unsuitable for surfaces having a significant curvature because it is deformed as plastic material is applied to the mat surface.